Ice Caves, in Color, July 4th 2017

Leica M-E + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4.

Big Four Ice Caves, July 4th 2017

Leica M-E + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4

Leica M-E + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4

Leica M-E + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4

Leica M-E + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4

Leica M-E + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4

Leica M-E + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4

Pretzel's Birthday, June 2017

Leica M-E + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4.

Promontory

Two weekends ago, Chrissy, Pretzel and I took a walk around Rattlesnake Lake. Last weekend, we hiked up to the top or Rattlesnake Ledge, which rises over the lake. It's a short, forty-five minute-to-an-hour hike. We were expecting cold wet weather, with a chance of snow. Fortunately, we were met with completely clear sunny skies - perfect once we reached the top.

Another ledge north of Rattlesnake. If you look closely, you can see a couple of hikers at the top. | Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4.

The views are spectacular. Note the parking lot way down in the bottom right corner. | Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4.

Rainer, Part II

Another, much closer shot from our visit to Mount Rainier National Park this past weekend. Taken from the road just south of Paradise.

Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4

Rainier

From Mount Rainier National Park.

Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4

Discovery Park + Fisherman's Terminal

A few weeks ago, Chrissy, my dad, and I took a float plane tour of Seattle on Kenmore Air. It was unbelievable, and thanks to my very predictable dad who alerted the pilot about my birthday, I was able to sit in the co-pilot's seat. Seeing the city from the air made us realize all the things we had yet to see, one of them being Discovery Park. So, after dropping my parents of at SeaTac last weekend, we decided to check it out. It was also the first major outing with my new Leica M-E camera.

The West Point light | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens.

Discovery Park is a pretty large park just west of Seattle on the sound, close to the Ballard Locks. It has some great trails, but the highlight of the park is the beach, and the West Point Lighthouse. The best part is, it's absolutely free. And for being the city's largest park, it wasn't crowded at all.

A man-made pile of driftwood on the beach | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens.

One of the major bummers about the park is that while dogs can visit on leash, they aren't allowed on the beaches. With Seattle being a dog-friendly area, this was somewhat surprising, especially compared to the very dog-friendly beaches of Oregon.

Some of the smaller vessels docked | Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 lens.

Afterwards, we decided to check out the Fisherman's Terminal, where the many fishing vessels dock in Seattle. We had previously visited here in 2009, and saw some of the boats featured on Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch docked. We were hungry, and decided to grab at bite at the Fisherman's Green Market & Deli. I highly recommend their sandwiches.

One of the many docks you can meander on | Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 lens.

Visitors are free to walk up and down the docks during the day. While Pike's Market may be the more well-known fish market of Seattle, the Fisherman's Terminal is definitely more enjoyable. On the Saturday we visited, there was almost nobody there. Fittingly, Pike's Market makes you feel like a sardine packed in a can.

A fisherman and his catch stands atop the memorial | Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 lens.

There is also a fisherman's memorial at the terminal, listing all of the fisherman who have been lost at sea. Most are of Norwegian descent, and with my wife also of Norwegian ancestry, we searched for any fisherman with her maiden name, but (luckily) couldn't find any. On the way out, we grabbed some fresh cod from the famous Chinook's market that my wife later turned into an unbelievable meal.